Answers
by Danny'sGhostGirl
Summary: "...You loved him. You hated me," a single tear slid down Schnozmo's face, dripping onto the floor, though he continued to shout. "You're supposed to love all your children!" Sometimes the answers we seek are better left unearthed. -ONESHOT-


**DGG: I don't really know what compelled me to write a story about Schnozmo. I do, in fact, like the episode "Double-O Schnozmo", but I always preferred Cosmo as an only child...I contradict myself. But I began thinking about it. It seems quite plausible that Mama Cosma didn't treat Schnozmo as well as she treated Cosmo, so why not write a fic about why that could be? So here it is.**

**I'm sure it could be better. But...w/e. It was in my brain. Now I wrote it down. Now it can stop nagging me. And now I can hopefully get back to work on my other FOP stories that I'm working on. GAH! TOO MANY THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own FOP. If I did...that's all I got. I don't really know what would happen if I did. **

**Well enjoy. And review if you have the time.**

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Schnozmo Cosma, sharply dressed fairy in a black tuxedo floated confidently down the streets of Fairy World. He knew exactly where he was going. It was a place he hadn't been in thousands of years. But, although he hadn't seen it in so long, he didn't truly miss it. No, that's not why he was going back. It wasn't because it brought back a lot of memories…well…it did, but very few of them were actually happy. The big-nosed fairy stopped at a street corner, looking cattycorner across the street. There it was. There was no going back once he was there.

The green-haired fairy's confidence seemed to waiver a bit at the sight of the house. She was there. He knew she was. But of course he knew. She was the reason he was heading there in the first place. He wanted, no, needed to speak with her. He took in a deep breath as he headed toward the humble little house.

He hadn't had a reason to come back since his brother left home. Actually, he did have a reason to return; however, he was too afraid of what he would find out to actually go back. That meshed with unpleasant memories kept him from returning. He hated thinking about the radical difference in treatment he and his brother received while growing up. He usually just tried to ignore that fact, but it always dwindled in the back of his mind, waiting to spring up when he least expected it. And as much as he hated to admit it, it still bothered him. Badly. And today he finally had the courage to return to the house he called home so very long ago.

He stopped at the doorway. The house hadn't changed too much since he was there last. It was the same color. It had the same quaint, white fence surrounding the yard. There were many flowers still growing in the flowerbeds. Everything seemed the same on the outside, but he knew that once he was inside it would be a different story.

He sighed as he grabbed an old key from his pocket and carefully tried to fit it into the lock.

_"Ha. What do you know? So one thing is different out here. She changed the locks," _the fairy mused to himself. He wasn't really surprised though. Actually, it would have been a surprise if the key had still fit. She didn't want him to come back.

He put the key back into his pocket, sighing again. He could just leave. He didn't have to be here. She wasn't expecting him or anything. But he needed to speak with her. He needed to find out the truth. Schnozmo let out another sigh and straightened himself up before timidly knocking on the front door.

He waited. Maybe she wasn't home. That wouldn't bother him at all. He would just leave. Leave and pretend that this little trip never happened. Or maybe she didn't hear the knock. Yeah, he could just leave anyway. He smiled at the prospect of not seeing her; however, it soon disappeared, and apprehension gripped his stomach as the sound of someone turning the lock on the other side of the door swam into his ears. Fear washed over him as he watched the door knob turn.

Upon opening the door the woman gasped. There she was. There was no turning back now.

"Hi, Mama," he spoke quietly.

She had certainly changed over the years. Though not by much. Her curly, mint-green hair now towered above her head by several inches, and she was now clad in a plain, solid green dress. And she just looked older. Not terrible, but just the normal wear and tear of the years.

As the seconds pressed on, the woman's shocked countenance was soon replaced with one of anger.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

Schnozmo winced at the harshness of her words even though he had expected it.

"I didn't come here to start trouble or anything. I just…I just need to talk to you," he spoke somberly.

"About what? Are you in some sort of trouble? Or did you come here to try and swindle me?"

"No, Mama. I'm here for a different reason. Please. I just need to know something."

The woman sighed, not changing her aggravated expression.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"You most certainly may not!" she cried.

"C'mon, Mama, it's really hot out here. I need some shade!" he lied while fanning himself with his hand.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to wear a tuxedo then."

"What could I possibly do? Just let me in," Schnozmo attempted to enter the house only to have his mother try and slam the door in his face. He stopped the door with the palms of his hands before she could slam it and soon found himself in a shoving contest with the female from opposite sides of the doorway.

"Mama, please! Just hear me out!" begged Schnozmo, shoving with all his might against the doorway.

"I don't want to listen to anything _you_ have to say!" Mama Cosma grunted from inside, shoving equally as hard.

"I just need to talk to you!"

"There's no way I'm letting you back in here! The last time you were here you swiped my pearl earrings. I can only imagine what became of them!"

"I'm not here to take anything!"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh. I seem to lose a possession every time you come over! I've lived peacefully without you bothering me, so just leave!"

"I'm not leaving until I get to talk to you. We wouldn't even be doing this if I were Cosmo standing out here."

"Don't bring your brother into this!" Mama Cosma snapped defensively.

"Come on just hear me out for once in your life. Two minutes, that's all, and then I'll be on my way, outta your hair. It's important," the male begged.

Mama Cosma sighed in irritation, both individuals having stopped shoving on the door.

"Fine. I'll let you in. But if I see you trying to swipe something…"

"I wouldn't be any good at my job if you saw me do it," Schnozmo chuckled.

"Schnozmo!" she snapped from the other side of the door.

"But," the male's cockiness left him, "I'm not here to swipe anything, Mama. I just need to talk."

He heard her sigh again, knowing that she felt she would regret this decision. Schnozmo backed off the door, allowing her to open it wide. He gave her a weak smile; however, it disappeared upon seeing Mama Cosma eye him warily as she stepped aside and allowed him to enter the front room.

The male fairy looked around in awe. He had been absolutely right. Everything was different. He looked at the right-side wall of the room above the sofa. There was still a large portrait there, but rather than the family portrait of himself, his mama, and his papa – it was taken before Cosmo was born – it was just a large portrait of Mama Cosma and Cosmo. Schnozmo looked across the room at some shelves where artwork from school had always been displayed. He noticed all the little drawings and sculptures he made were no longer there, only Cosmo's little crafts were still set proudly on display – although Cosmo's projects always outnumbered his by far anyway.

Schnozmo looked around some more and saw a picture sitting on another shelf. It was a picture of his father holding his baby brother. There were various pictures of Cosmo all over the house. There was no sign of him anywhere. It was like Schnozmo had never even been there.

"Ahem," Mama Cosma cleared her throat, catching the male's attention. "What do you want?"

"You sure changed the place a lot," he spoke.

"And?"

"I figured you would."

"Schnozmo, I have better things to be doing right now, so what is it that you want?"

The male took in a deep breath, turning and looking at the woman. There weren't many things that frightened or intimidated Schnozmo. Even Jorgen didn't really bother him. Schnozmo had the gift of speech and persuasion on his side to get him out of most sticky situations; however, he knew better than to try that with Mama Cosma. She wasn't one to put up with his schemes at all; her livid reactions were enough to keep Schnozmo petrified in place. He took in another breath before speaking again.

"Mama," he paused, still reconsidering his decision to finally ask the question, "what…what did I ever do to you?"

The female seemed a little taken aback by the question.

"Excuse me?"

"What did I ever do to you? Why do you treat me like this?" he asked, his confidence returning.

"Why do I treat you this way? What, you think I should approve of you going around and conning innocent people out of their possessions? You think I should approve of you tricking everyone around you?"

"But, Mama, that's what I do now."

"It's what you've always done!"

"Not when I was little."

"Oh, really?" she folded her arms across her chest. "What about that one time in Spellementary School when your teacher called to say that you had been swindling the other kids in class, hm?"

"That was one time…okay it was three times, but she didn't catch me the first two times."

"Well?"

"Everyone was doing it! I was just the unlucky sap who got caught," Schnozmo recoiled at the woman's reproachful glare. "I…I didn't do it after that."

"That's obviously a lie."

"Well…I didn't do it again until after Papa died. Come on, I was 110 when I got in trouble with the teacher. I was 301 when Papa died."

"Yes, and you were constantly in trouble after that! I knew this would happen to you. I knew that you wouldn't become anything more than a petty, lowly conman."

"That's not even fair. I was still just a kid."

"A troublemaking kid."

"Cosmo caused trouble, yet I don't see you disowning him!"

"Cosmo didn't mean to cause trouble. You always instigated it."

"But what about before all that? I never started trouble before that! I never did anything. I was a good kid, yet you still acted like I was the scum of the universe. Why then?"

"I never treated you like scum," countered Mama Cosma.

"Yes, you did, Mama!" Schnozmo cried. "You never wanted to spend any time with me. I could only rely on Papa; he loved me. I couldn't count on you! If I fell down and got hurt, it was Papa who bandaged me up. If I was scared, he comforted me. If I needed advice or guidance, I got it from Papa. You wouldn't even tuck me in at night!"

"Well, that's not true! I always tucked you in!"

"No, you were just there. Papa tucked me in. He would give me a kiss goodnight, but you," tears seemed to gloss over the fairy's eyes, "you just floated absently by his side. You never did anything except say 'goodnight' before you left. And after he died, you didn't even say that to me anymore."

The older female continued glaring at him, clearly not moved by his words. Schnozmo sighed, slightly disappointed.

"We were never close, Mama. It was like you just tolerated me. I mean, I tried to spend quality time with you, but you just shoved me away."

"What about the times I read you stories out here in the front room? Was that not spending time together?"

"You only did it because Papa was in here too. If he wasn't around, then you had nothing to do with me," Schnozmo's shoulder's slumped.

Mama Cosma huffed.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" she raised her eyebrow impatiently.

"Yeah," Schnozmo balled his hands into fists. "There's plenty more I'd like to say. I just don't understand why you treated me so badly. I was close to Papa, he was my best friend," Schnozmo closed his eyes, trying not to let any tears fall, "until he died…"

"And whose fault was that?" Mama Cosma snapped, causing Schnozmo to look up at her with wide eyes. "Who deviously switched out Cosmo's first training wand with your father's wand, hm? A training wand doesn't have enough power to shape shift other fairies! If you hadn't switched the wands your father would probably still be here, wouldn't he?"

"I…I didn't mean anything by it….I was just a kid…I just thought it would be funny to see what he could do with a full-power wand…"

"Really? Was losing your father funny?"

"No!"

"It's your fault he's gone!"

"Mama," he whined, two fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

She had yelled that at him for years. She had always blamed him for his father's untimely demise. He couldn't really blame her. He blamed himself for it too. But he still hated to hear her say it.

"You know I will never forgive you for that," Mama Cosma hissed.

"You know, I'm not the only one at fault. Cosmo was the one that transformed him!"

"Oh no. Don't you dare try to pin this on your brother! Cosmo should have had a training wand!" roared the female. "He was just a baby! He was a year old, Schnozmo. You were old enough to know better than to give a baby a full-power wand!"

"How was I supposed to know that I would lose my father because of it?"

"What did you think would happen if you gave a baby a wand, Schnozmo?"

"I didn't know! That's why I let him play with it! I didn't know I would lose Papa that day! I never meant for that to happen! You make it like I gave Cosmo Papa's wand with the intent that he would turn him into a fly! I was just bein' the ornery older brother, and you've always made it like I intentionally murdered my father."

"I was absolutely horrified when I realized that Cosmo had an actual wand, and I was absolutely furious when I found out that you, his older brother, gave it to him. I couldn't believe what happened that day."

"It was an accident, Mama."

"We couldn't be a complete family anymore that day."

Schnozmo stared at the woman in front of him incredulously.

"We were never a complete family," he spat out venomously. Mama Cosma looked at him in surprise, not used to hearing that tone from him.

"I could always tell that you never wanted me. You were always so cold and distant toward me. I would ask Papa why you were that way, but he tried to convince me that it was all in my head, but it wasn't. You'd barely speak two words to me if you didn't have to do it. You only made an effort when Papa was around. After awhile, I convinced myself that maybe you just didn't want any kids, so when you and Papa told me I was gonna be a big brother, I thought 'Uh-oh. Mama's just gonna treat the new baby exactly how she treats me.' But no. You loved him. Cosmo could do no wrong. He was your precious little baby. And you ignored me even more than you did before if that was even possible."

Mama Cosma sighed matter-of-factly.

"Well…of course I loved Cosmo. And he received more attention because he was younger. You know that he needed extra attention."

"I do know he needed extra attention. His low I.Q. is what got him extra attention. Did I need a low I.Q. for you to hug and kiss me too, Mama?"

"No."

"Then what? What did I need to do to get approval from you?"

"You needed to stop being such a troublemaker."

"I was a troublemaker because of you, Mama! That was the only way I knew how to get attention from you! I would find ways to get in trouble just so you'd come over and pay attention to me for a few minutes. You may have been yelling at me, but you were paying attention to me nonetheless. I'm the way I am because you made me this way! I would hear you telling Papa that I was going to amount to nothing, that I was a bad seed, and that I was nothing more than a giant mistake. Well, look at me now, Mama! Am I everything you thought I would be?"

"Unfortunately," Mama Cosma spoke slowly.

"Papa believed in me."

"Yes, he did. He certainly saw no mal-intent when he looked at you. He didn't see what I did, or maybe he just refused to see it. Either way he certainly believed that you would do better than this. When your teacher first called to tell us that you were conning the other kids in your class I saw it as only the beginning, but your father saw it was just a one-time thing. He told me I was wrong, that it was just a phase. He thought you would grow up and make something of yourself, but it turned out that I was right, after all. He would be so disappointed, Schnozmo."

"How was I supposed to make something out of myself?"

"For one, you shouldn't have dropped out of school."

Schnozmo sniggered.

"Oh yeah. I remember how that was when I stopped trying to win your attention. That was when I just wanted to see how angry I could make you. I dropped out purely out of spite."

Mama Cosma laughed bitterly.

"Spite me, huh? Well, did it pay off? Did I become angry enough for you?"

"You certainly did. You kicked me out of here," Schnozmo spoke nonchalantly.

"I was tired of all your insolence. Your dropping out of school was finally the last straw!"

"But I was only 856! I wasn't even of legal age yet!"

"So what? You thought you could just sit around my house all day until you were 1,000?"

"No, but…"

"I thought that maybe getting kicked out would teach you a lesson, but no. You haven't changed a bit, Schnozmo. You're still the same sleazy fairy you were back then."

"Because that's all I knew how to be! I didn't know any other way to survive. Conning and stealing was the only thing I knew how to do – it still is. I'm sorry if I let Papa down because of that, but maybe things could have turned out a little differently had you actually acted like a mother to me!"

"Oh, here we go again," the female rolled her eyes. "You're going to blame me for the way you act?"

"Yes. A mother's job is to love and to guide her children in the right direction! You did neither thing for me. You don't care about what happens to me. All you care about is Cosmo. And he's my brother, and I love him, but I'm jealous of him. Look how he turned out versus how I turned out. You loved him. You hated me," a single tear slid down Schnozmo's face, dripping onto the floor, though he continued to shout. "You're supposed to love all your children!"

"Well, maybe if you had been my child I would have!" she shouted angrily, but she immediately gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

Schnozmo stared at the woman in front of him incredulously, his emerald eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

"Wh…what?" his voice came out as a horrified squeak. "Are…are you serious?"

Mama Cosma's eyes were just as wide. She couldn't believe what she'd let fly out of her mouth. She eventually lowered her hands back down to her sides. Her previously hard expression was gone. She'd never seen Schnozmo look like this before. He looked so horrified, like he'd been punched in the gut. He looked frightened. The female sighed. She had a lot of explaining to do.

"I…I suppose it's time you know the truth," she took a deep breath. "I loved your father dearly. You see, he wasn't much different from you when he was growing up. He was a sly one too. He could pull a fast one on any fairy that came his way."

"Really?" Schnozmo asked in surprise. "Papa…Papa conned people?"

"Oh, yes. And I was the only fairy who wouldn't allow him to pull one over on me. For whatever reason he respected that, and it attracted him to me. Oh, he tried for years to get me to go out with him, but I refused to date someone like him. But he was very persistent. He promised he would change his ways for me, and he did. He became the man that you knew, and that's the man I fell in love with. We dated for awhile, and finally he asked me to marry him.

"Unfortunately our wedding almost didn't happen. You see, he had been quite the ladies' man back before he changed his ways, but apparently he had a slight fall from grace three days before our wedding. I didn't know what had happened, but I'd noticed him flying around in a depressed slump for about two days. It wasn't until the day before our wedding that he finally told me that he had…cheated on me."

"Papa?" Schnozmo raised his eyebrows. "He didn't seem the type."

"No. He didn't. But that wasn't the only thing he told me," Mama Cosma continued.

An ominous feeling overtook the green-haired male in the pit of his stomach.

"He told me he was pregnant. I was devastated. I had never lain with your father, so I knew his baby couldn't possibly be mine. I was so heartbroken, but he begged and pleaded with me to not call off the wedding. He always told me he would make it up to me somehow, and he promised it would never happen again. He always told me that he'd never meant for his encounter with that other girl to happen, that one thing led to another."

"Then why did you marry him after he betrayed you like that?"

"Because I knew he was telling the truth. I learned to tell the difference between when he was just lying and trying to con his way out of situations versus actual sincerity. I knew he'd meant what he said. He loved me. And despite being so upset with him, I loved him too. I knew he would never do anything like that again, so we married, and everyone just thought that we got pregnant on the honeymoon."

"So I'm…I'm really not your son?" Schnozmo asked quietly.

"No. You're not," bitterness seeping back into her voice.

"That's why you treated me the way you did?"

"You were living proof that your father still had a bit of his wild side left. You were the proof that he actually did cheat on me. I loved your father dearly, Schnozmo, and I hated to think that he could do such a terrible thing, so I took out my anger toward him on you, I suppose. I know you didn't ask to come along the way you did. And I didn't want to, but I always associated you with your father cheating on me. I mean how could I not? You were the result of it, but I was always bitter because the child _we_ had was really just the child _he_ had. You weren't my baby."

"So that's why you treated Cosmo better. Because he is your baby," Schnozmo lowered his head.

"That would be the truth. I always hoped that I would feel better about the situation if your father and I had a baby together, and I certainly felt better having my own son, but that certainly didn't make the past go away."

"And you wanted it to?"

"At the time."

"'At the time'?" repeated the male.

"You're a piece of your father. You've always reminded me of him, which was also why I was so hard on you. You're the son of not one but two con artists, and that was all I ever thought about. I thought of the negativity you brought into my life. Your father and I had marital problems since day one because of his pregnancy. And when you were born I just held all that hostility against you. I worked hard to make sure you father turned into the person that you knew, someone respectable, but I always felt his pregnancy was a jump back into the past that I detested so much. So I associate you with his past."

"But that's not fair."

"I know," Mama Cosma took a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't want you around. Somehow I felt you would pull him back into that life – a life I wanted nothing to do with. And when your teacher told us you were quite the little con artist at school, my resentment toward you grew, especially because your father seemed more amused than concerned about it. So I took care of it. I yelled at you, I punished you, and there wasn't another word about you conning anymore of your schoolmates. It relieved me some, but not very much. I knew it was a part of who you were.

"Your father and I fought constantly about you. I saw all the negatives while he saw potential. He knew my feelings toward you. He wanted me to accept you as my own son, he even begged me to do so; however, he knew it was all for naught. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I just couldn't accept the boy that came about because your father had a moment of weakness. I held you as the bane of all our problems, and that's why I wanted my own child. So we had Cosmo. Your father was upset at how differently I treated the two of you, but I was attached to Cosmo in a way I could never be attached to you. I was his mother. I was finally an actual mother, and I couldn't help it. Finally, I could just leave you to your father as I swooned over my own baby boy. I hoped that's how it could be. Your father understood you better than I ever could or will, for that matter. However, that wasn't what happened. Your father died.

"I, in all honestly, wasn't very fond of the fact that I had to deal with you on my own. I certainly didn't want to. Like I said, your father could understand your mindset, I couldn't. But I took care of you for your father's sake. And after that, you fell back into lying and conning other kids; you were always trying my patience with it. And I didn't want you influencing my little Cosmo-lo-lo. You were his older brother. You were supposed to set a good example for him, but you never did. I didn't want him following in your footsteps that's for certain. And when you dropped out of school, I finally couldn't take anymore. I had to kick you out. And while I was relieved you were gone, I was also a bit upset. One of the tiny pieces I had left of your father was gone. And when your brother eventually left, I lost another piece of him…"

Schnozmo hovered, staring at the floor while trying not to let any tears fall. This was a bit more than he could handle. He expected a devastating answer, but not this devastating. Finally, he looked back up at the female in front of him.

"Well… what about my real mama? Doesn't she know about me?"

"I don't think so. To my knowledge, your father never told her about you. And before you ask, I don't know who she is. I didn't want to know."

"But what if I want to know?" the fairy's voice cracked.

The curly haired female just stared at him, something along the lines of concern flickering in her eyes, but she kept her mouth closed. Schnozmo bowed his head once more, his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration as he still attempted to hold back a few tears.

"But…why didn't you tell me before? Why pretend to be my mother this whole time? You certainly didn't want me, and you certainly didn't take care of me," the male spoke bitterly. "You just gave me a place to live and food to eat."

"Your father didn't want you to know. He wanted us to be a family," she answered quietly.

"But we weren't! You wouldn't let me, obviously. I mean, I practically grew up without a mother! You couldn't wait to get rid of me! And just look around. The old family portrait's gone. Nothing I did from school is out on display. There aren't any pictures of me anywhere. Once I was out of here, you could finally pretend I never existed. I was always the son you never wanted."

"You were certainly the son I never expected," Mama Cosma spoke. "Like I said, you reminded me of your father's wild side – you pretty much are his wild side. He figured since he changed his ways, that you'd be able to change yours too. And I suppose you did for awhile until he died."

"I just wanted you to pay attention to me too, Mama. I may not have been your biological son, but that didn't mean that I didn't deserve to be treated the same way as my baby brother."

"You're right."

Schnozmo blinked in surprise at the female's statement. It was very rare for Mama Cosma to admit something like that, at least out loud if she even admitted it at all.

"But you resented me," Schnozmo spoke.

"I resent how your father could betray me. I thought he had completely changed, but you were the proof that he hadn't. I treated you terribly for being a consequence of your father's mistake. I suppose it was never you I should have been angry at, but for some reason, you were easier to be angry at than your father. I'm…sorry. You probably could have turned out differently had I not treated you like a burden."

Silence fell over the two for a moment as they took in everything that had been said. Finally Schnozmo spoke.

"Well, I guess it's really too late to do anything about it now, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Deceiving people is what I've always done. It's who I am. If you take that away, then I won't know what to do anymore. I wouldn't know who I am."

"You know I'll never approve of your lifestyle. I hated it when your father did it too. You're going to get into serious trouble one of these days, Schnozmo."

"Probably. But that's the fun part, Mama. I can just slick-talk my way out," the big-nosed male smiled.

"Schnozmo, your slick-talk is what's going to land you in deep trouble, and you won't be able to use it to get out of the situation. I do care about what happens to you, you know. I loved your father, and he loved you. And I know that he would still want you to be safe. So I do care. You made it…hard to care, but I still cared. I had a lot of time to think about you after you were gone. I did wonder if you were all right because I knew in my heart that if something happened to you your father would never forgive me. I would always try to find out little things about you. But, of course, you were doing what you'd always done: leeching off of and preying on others. I really hoped you would have learned to not do that, but I was wrong. So are those the answers you wanted?"

Schnozmo took in a deep breath through his large nose.

"Yes, Mama. I knew I wouldn't like the answers. And at this point I'm starting to think that it would have been better not knowing them. But it's nice to know you care, I guess. I just wish that you cared about me of your own accord and not just for Papa's sake."

Mama Cosma frowned.

"I wish a lot of things could have been different. I wish your father never cheated on me. I wish he was still here. I wish my precious little boy wasn't seduced by that…that…hussy of a girl…" she rattled on.

"So you wish I never even existed?" Schnozmo interrupted her, getting her back on track.

"No, Schnozmo. I wouldn't change your existence. I just wish you could have been my son, not someone else's."

The male blinked, his mouth agape.

"You…you really mean that?"

"Yes, Schnozmo, I do mean it."

The male was speechless. His mother never wanted him. She was never there for him. He so much as had to breathe in the same vicinity as her and she seemed angry at him. And, of course, when Cosmo was born, she completely shut him out. She ignored him completely unless he screwed up, which was quite often and usually on purpose. But here she was saying that she wished things could have been different. It was bittersweet, yes. She still didn't genuinely care about him, but he knew enough about her to know when she was being sincere as well. She really did wish that he could have been her biological son.

"So…is there anything else you wanted?"

"No, Mama. I got what I came here for. So now I guess I'll leave," he headed for the door.

"Wait a minute. Where will you go?" she asked, for once sounding like a concerned mother.

Schnozmo turned back around and shrugged.

"I don't know. Wherever I'm compelled to go, I suppose. I'm sort of a drifter."

"Well," Mama Cosma breathed, a pained expression taking over her face, "if you ever need anything, you know you can come back here."

The male smiled weakly.

"You're only saying that just to be nice. But thanks, Mama."

The female stared at him for a moment.

"You remind me so much of your father. It might not be the part of him I like to be reminded of, but it's been so long since his death that at this point any reminder of him is a good reminder."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Schnozmo turned and opened the door. "But remember that I may not be your son, but you'll always be my mama."

"I know, dear."

"I'll see you around. Maybe. But probably not, you know?"

"Remember, Schnozmo," he stopped, "You can come back anytime you need to, understand?"

"Yes, Mama," he smiled.

He floated through the threshold, closing the front door behind him. He sighed once more before floating out of the yard and down the street. Well, he certainly found the answers he was looking for. He knew this visit would end up being bittersweet and heartbreaking, he just hadn't anticipated how much. He had wanted to know why he and his brother had grown up so differently while under care from the same woman, and he had found the answer. His mama wasn't his real mother. She actually hadn't loved him. And although he had always figured that, it was much different to actually hear it. It both hurt yet oddly enough gave him a sense of peace at the same time.

However, he was surprised by something today. Mama Cosma may have always resented him, but she had told him that she cared. Her care may have been brought on only because she was doing what she thought her late husband would want, but it was the closest she'd ever come to saying "I love you" to him.

He hadn't had a perfect childhood, far from it. Could he truly forgive Mama Cosma for treating him the way she did? No. He realized how much her heart must have ached every time she looked at him, how it probably still ached. Even though he could understand her actions, it was still no reason to have treated him so poorly. But would he change any of it? No. Despite some moments of insecurity, he enjoyed living the life he had. He enjoyed it even more so now knowing that it was a trait his late father had also possessed and passed on to his oldest son. He also enjoyed it more due to what his mama had said. He reminded her of his father. She didn't approve of his lifestyle, but she was happy that he resembled his father. In a strange, twisted way it was like making her proud, and that's all he'd ever wanted to do.

He had come around looking for answers.

He found them.

A smile crept onto his face. His life both upset and made his mama proud. And he wouldn't change that for the world.

So Schnozmo Cosma, sharply dressed fairy, floated confidently down the streets of Fairy World. He knew exactly where he was going. He knew exactly what to do.

* * *

**DGG: I honestly had no idea how to end this. But here we are. I hope it was enjoyable to at least some extent. It must have been if you've read all the way down to here. Mama Cosma was really blunt in this...but I figure she's really blunt w/ Wanda, so why not be blunt w/ Schnozmo too? No sugar-coating. Anyways...I'll quit rambling now. **

**Please review! **


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